Help:Fandoms

This help page provides instructions for how to create, organize and develop articles about fandoms.

Many people like to begin editing Fanlore by starting with the fandom they are most familiar with. The following are some guidelines and resources. Use common sense to adapt them to your fandom's situation.

How do I name the page?

The name of the page should be the most common name used by fans to describe their fandom. Generally, the full name of the fandom should be used, unless the standard name is actually an abbreviation (e.g. J2, Lotrips).

When editors start creating more pages about the fandom, create a fandom category and add it to all the pages. On the main fandom overview page, replace [[Category:Fandoms by Source Text]] with the fandom category.

What content should I include in a fandom page?

Remember that Fanlore is a wiki about fandom, not about canon: Wikipedia already has pages for most canon sources, including canon characters, but will not include material about how fans engage with or react to the canon. This is the material that interests Fanlore particularly. However, you will probably want to include a very short overview of canon to give the article some context. As a rule, avoid duplicating material that can already be found in wikipedia.

Some points you may (or may not) want to address:

Introduction: A VERY BRIEF overview of the canon.

History of the fandom: When and how did the fandom start? Did it explode onto the fannish scene or was it a slow burn? If the fandom has been around for a while, how has fan activity changed over time?

Characters and Pairings: Who are the popular characters and pairings?

Activities: What sorts of activities occur in your fandom? Have conventions been organized? Does your fandom have any unique or less common practices?

Fanworks: What types of fanworks are popular? Where are they available? Is there a particular one that brought in new fans or that people outside of the fandom are aware of?

If the fandom page gets very long, and you still have more to add about a topic, you can create a separate page for that specific topic and link to it from the main fandom page. For example, The Lord of the Rings has pages just for fanfiction and fanzines.